The Whale Rider

The Whale Rider
by: Witi Ihimaera
152 pages hardback
1987

Written primarily from the view point of a loving uncle, this Maori "fable" is an interesting account of the life of an eight-year-old girl.  Had Kahu been a first-born son, there would be a different story to tell.  But this little girl persevered in spite of receiving any affection from the great-grandfather that she adored, and in the end, she saved the day.  Intersperse in the story are Maori phrases (often the explanation immediately following) so like the other books I have read about New Zealand, the use of additional language give a rich texture to the reading experience.  There are very poetic chapters about whales and their lives which also provides variety to what would be a very straight-forward story plot.  The characters are consistent and likable (even the grumpy grandparents) and easy to picture in the ways in which they interacted with one another. 
Tribal history and the desire to preserve it played a role in the novel.  Perhaps the bits I liked best was the uncle's travels to Australia and on to Papua New Guinea and the discoveries he made about himself while he was away.  When he returned home he was glad to be back and had a deeper appreciation for all that he had left. 
This is a quick and enjoyable read that makes me happy for family and the value of community. Oh, and the novel was made into a movie, but i have not seen it.

Crazy Love

Crazy Love
by Francis Chan
paperback, 187 pages
2008

I have heard about this book for a while, in fact, a house church, different from ours, chose to study it together when we lived in Thailand during our 2009-2011 time.  One of our kiddos left it in the closet when they went back to college so I decided to give it a read.

The good of the book: it is so practically familiar.  The bad of the book: is is so practically familiar.  Francis Chan is a public speaker as a pastor, a conference guest, and although I have only heard him once (on the video he recommends his readers to watch in the opening chapters of his book), I feel that he does a great job in verbally holding the attention of his audience and effectively communicating his views.

The book is broken down into 10 readable chapters and is devotional as well as seeks to inspire Christians to put to action their faith due to God's great love through Jesus.  Filled with Biblical quotes, quotes from heroes of the faith, and glimpses of lives lived well, Francis Chan combines these with his own personal convictions to convey what really following Jesus could lead to.  I like a quote he shares at the end of the book by Annie Dillard, "How we live our days... is how we live our lives" (pg 165).

This book is a wake-up call.  And when we wake up to the goodness of Jesus we can not help but want more of Him and be more like Him and this will change our thinking and our actions for good.  Crazy Love is about both individual revival as well as the renewal needed within the church universal.  We do not need to remain lukewarm.  Abundant life is available, just like Jesus says, to all who trust in Him.  Here is a somewhat radical idea to ponder tucked away on in a paragraph on page 166: "I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come into contact with is Christ."

In the last pages there is a brief interview that gives further insight into Francis Chan concerning the book, the church and life. Even if you do not read the book, (which I would recommend for not yet Christians, for new believers and for those mature in their faith, and I think it would be beneficial to read with a friend or in a group), then take a few minutes to read the interview.  It was worth my time to consider what seem to be well thought through replies to good questions.

My Little Afternoon Tea Book

 My Little Afternoon Tea Book
More than 80 Irresistible Recipes
editor: Liz Malcolm
2012
255 pages, hardback

The recipes in this cookbook are each beautifully illustrated and look delicious.  I like how it is set up for bakers in several different countries by the way the ingredients are measured by weight (both grams and ounces) and by cups.
I have already tested one recipe (Chocolate Mud Biscuits on page 171) and the results have been wonderful!  A great gift to receive, a great gift to give.  Thank you Joy...fun baking with you!  If you would like the recipe for the Chocolate Mud Biscuits please go to http://minickmenus.blogspot.com/ 

The Bone People

The Bone People
by Keri Hulme
1983
450 pages, paperback

The Bone People is the third book now that I have read about New Zealand.  As the first two books were more about New Zealand facts, I was ready for a novel that combined facts along with a story that I found hard to put down.  This is a griping novel that is meant to be read slowly, in my opinion, slowly enough to take the time to look up the Maori meanings to words and phrases in the glossary at the back of the book. 
Kere Hulme does an incredible job of character development, bringing to life on the page, three people whose lives intersect to form a type of a family.  Abuse is a major theme throughout the story and because of this, I was unsure if I would be able to read it, but it was also filled with devoted love, a fascinating description of the New Zealand wild country, birds, trees, sea-life, food, and a wide range of language (poetic imagery, profanity, slang, and Maori). 
Kerewin, the main character, is a poet, artist and somewhat of a hermit.  She is intellectual, brave and drinks way more than is healthy.  She is a pale-skinned Maori, very independent, quick-witted, and gets great pleasure from playing the guitar.  Her home is a tower by the sea. 
Joe, a Maori with dark skin, is a young widow, works in a factory, rides a motorcycle and spends lots of time in the local pub.  His extended family live near-by and they are woven into the story just enough to provide more texture.
A young boy named Simon brings Joe and Kerewin together.  Simon is a sole survivor of a boating accident, has golden-white hair, green eyes, a small frame and is mute.  Joe becomes his foster father and devotes his life to caring for Simon's many unique needs yet disciplines Simon far beyond what is good. 
The book is not an easy read for many reasons; the punctuation is challenging, the use of Maori words add depth yet makes one need to concentrate more on the flow of story, thoughts are recorded as if they were conversation, poetry is intertwined, and the Maori belief of the spiritual realm shows up at various times. So the reader really needs to stay committed to keeping everything straight. 
However, I really liked the book (it was winner of 1885 Booker Prize). I did find the ending to be a bit too abrupt.  I would have liked a few more of the novel's questions answered more fully.  I'm not sure who to recommend this book to.  It gave me plenty to think though concerning how people think, respond and interact to each other, to crisis, to loneliness, to life, to death.  A friend from the Grove loaned me her copy of The Bone People and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to read it, especially after time in New Zealand.  Thanks Leanne!

New Zealand

New Zealand

Photographs by Graeme Matthews
2001
128 pages, hardback

A charming photo collection of a variety of places throughout the North and South Islands of New Zealand was given to us upon our arrival from good friends whom we had the joy to visit.  I have enjoyed looking at the scenery and reading the captions and getting a better visual idea of vastness of this stunning country.  I especially liked the photos of Queenstown from where most of our memories of New Zealand are formed.  Truly a majestic-type place and the air, so fresh, i wish we could breathe it in with each page turned.  I will be happy to share this book with anyone who wants to hear of the good time we had in New Zealand! (October 2013).

Slipping into Paradise

Slipping into Paradise

Why I live in New Zealand

by: Jeffrey Moussaifeff Masson

2004

248 pages, hardback

With the hopes of learning about the land we were to visit, I asked on facebook if anyone had a novel about New Zealand that they would recommend.  Unfortunately, it was late in the game, and the books I requested to be mailed to our local library arrived after my ability to collect them for our journey.  I did however have a successful trip to the downtown Library where I checked out three books and very happy that I chose Slipping into Paradise as the first one to read.  The author loves New Zealand!  At the time of writing the book, Jeffrey Masson was not yet a citizen of the country yet his enthusiasm for his new "home" is apparent with each page.  The book is a great resource. It is written from a personal point of view of a man who had lived in many diverse places and in his sixties, with a young wife he adores and two young children, he describes a land that Jared Diamond claimed is "as close as we will get to the opportunity to study life on another planet" (page 132). Masson is a journalist who has written several books and I can tell he likes words, and detail and story.  Intertwined with his own history and present, he gives chapters to the two Island's intriguing history (some things that stood out to me: c.1000 arrival of first people but they did not remain, but the rats they brought with them did, perhaps the first mammals, other than bats that are indigenous to New Zealand, to live on the Island.  c.1350 about 200 people arrived with coconut plants, sweet potatoes and a pregnant dog.  First missionary arrived in 1814 along with horses and cattle.  Sheep and the imported grass they needed to graze came from England in 1834.  Lots of history is covered in a readable way and there are also chapters dedicated to trees and birds (the national bird is the kiwi.  Kiwi fruit is also grown here and New Zealanders are present-day called Kiwis) and a chapter on Maori people and a brief glossary of both New Zealand words and phrases as well as a glossary of words in the Maori language, which now along with English are the two official languages of New Zealand. The book also mentioned two other books that I'm interested to read about new Zealand one being the Bone People (I have it with me) and the other is The Whale Rider (which is waiting for me at the Heights Library).  After just a few days in New Zealand, I too can see why it could be very easy to slip into this paradise.  I would recommend this book to those like me who have the wonderful opportunity of visiting what is known by  locals as "Godzone". 

Come on Shore and we will Kill and Eat You All

Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All

A New Zealand Story
By Christina Thompson
2008
260 pages, hardback

This is my second book about New Zealand.  The first was written by a man, who in his 60's, has made New Zealand his home and he is ecstatic to tell his readers why, and along the way he shares a bit about how he sees New Zealand's history, its landscape and people and a general sense The book is called Slipping into Paradise.  And now this one is from the view point of a white, privileged, intellectual woman from Boston, who while studying in Australia visits New Zealand, charmed by its differences, marries a handsome Maori man and from that perspective continues to research the history and customs of the land.  It is only when I came to the end of the book that I realize to whom the book is primarily written: to the three young sons that will one day grow up to see that the gift their parents have to offer is their interesting history that will become the heritage for each of the boys.  

Christina Thompson does a good job at using narrative to breathe life into people who have long ago lived, fought and have died from both the perspective of the conquers and of those being conquered.  Although most of the Maori people alive today are living on the Northern Island, and we have spent our time in New Zealand on the Southern Island, I experienced enough rustic hikes in which I tried to image what life here was like before sheep, electricity or a vast variety of delicious restaurants.  What was it like for the Maori to first come to this land, perhaps as the first people to inhabit these beautiful and yet harsh mountains?  What did the Maori think of the first "others" to come and how have their lives changed drastically since those days?  And how do the assimilation and the mixture of ideas, culture, dreams, and opportunities continue to play out many years later in the lives of the author's family in particular?  

The book covers a wide range of topics including history, development, the growth and decline of a particular people, and how the change for good and for bad continues to effect the physical land.  

As I read Come on Shore... what also stood out was the process of how some children grow to adulthood; some move about and take on bits from the places they have been and the people that have influenced them. All along choices are made and each choice directs the next path and consequently the next choice. Although many of the book's pages seem remote from how life is lived presently, the very thought that life is lived in certain ways today is because of the choices made by others years ago.  Whether with Europeans inhabiting New Zealand and displacing the Maori or Europeans doing the same to those first living in the Americas, personal and societal choice affect the generations living in these lands today.  Just as the choices I have made affect the lives of my children and so will it be with each generation yet to come. This book did not come to me through a personal recommendation, but when I looked on the internet for options to read about New Zealand, the title caught my attention and then later I saw it in the library so I chose it as a good option for our trip.  The title actually is explained on page 112ff about the voyage of Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle and how he formed his initial opinion of the Maori from a misunderstanding of what was written about what Cook (an early explorer) had written years before.  

Foreign Body

Foreign Body
Robin Cook
436 pages hardback
2008

Foreign Body is one of many that Robin Cook has written in the Medical Thriller genre.  A fellow Menchie worker told me that he liked Robin Cook books so I went to our local library and there were only 2 on the shelf (neither of which were the titles that he had read).  The one on medical tourism caught my attention and it was set in India.  The story started out pretty fast-paced for the first chapter or so, then it became a bit of a labor to read and I found the characters lacking depth.  The ending, although predictable, again picked up in pace but there were a lot of pages in the middle when the same situation was being described time and again from person to person.  I found it hard to really connect with any of the characters and yes the bad guys were clearly bad, but the good guys were neutral and when I finished the story I did not find myself missing anyone like I sometimes do with a really good read.  The book does seem authentic enough with its use of medical terms and those desiring a glance at India will not be disappointed and I liked the intent of the last sentence (but writing it out would give away the ending).  Over-all, it was too many pages for the good that came from it, I hope that does not sound too harsh.  Robin Cook is known as a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has written at least 27 novels so maybe i just did not pick his best work.

Lethal Harvest

Lethal Harvest
by: William Cutrer, M.D. and Sandra Glahn
Paperback, 407 pages
2000

Dr. Bill Cutrer taught Russell and I in our newly marrieds Sunday school class, rescued Hannah and Sophie from traumatic birth experiences and was recovering from his own heart surgery at the time of Isaiah's birth.  A remarkable man in so many ways that when he died recently in Kentucky where he and Jane had moved to after their Dallas years, I found myself missing him very much.  His first medical thriller novel, Lethal Harvest, I had read years ago, but it was a joy to reread it and get a fresh glimpse at an old friend.  The meaningful funeral in the opening of the story made me wonder about Dr. Bill's own funeral.  In this novel he drew heavily on his own personal experiences as a doctor, a husband, father, missionary and a man of great care for the needs of others and reading the book helped me to see this all over again.  The story dealt fairly with the ethical questions of life and research particularly as it affects cell stems and the medical part of Dr. Bill shown brightly in the writing, even with the fictitious disease.  The love-story part of the novel was believable as well and made for a nice balanced read.  The on-going mystery concerning a law-suit, made me more aware of various aspects of a doctor's world and motives that can drive people to action.  So, the general setting: 3 doctors at 1 clinic over about a 7 month period of time told in modern day (modern for 2000, when computer use was just becoming more available for normal people).  There is decent character development and an intriguing plot.  Somewhere toward the end of the book I remembered that there was a sequence to the novel but I was very satisfied at this story's conclusion.  I have a feeling that down the road I will read Deadly Cure (#2 in the Bioethics Series) or maybe one of his books on marriage.  Thank you Dr. Bill for putting some of what God has gifted you with down on paper so that many can be blessed by reading what you have written.  You are an inspiration to me!

Papa's Wife

Papa's WIfe
by: Thyra Ferre Bjorn
1955
hardback, 305 pages

I found Papa's Wife to be a refreshing story. It is a step back into time before I was born and yet because "Mama" is the main character and I am a mom, there are lots of points of interesting connection for me.
As a housekeeper at age 16 Mama knew she loved Papa, who was a minister and 21 years her senior.  But it took a while for Papa to know he loved Mama.  The daily life of marriage make up the the bulk of the 300 page story.  They add eight children to their happy household, one after the next, and in time the family take a long voyage by boat from Sweden to America, the land of education and hope.  For Papa, who loved his little Swedish church in the land of the midnight sun situated in beautiful mountains, it was a big sacrifice to leave all that was familiar to move to America, even if it was Mama's dream.  The peppering of Swedish words throughout gave flavor to the story as did the mini-sermons that were not always preached from a pulpit.   Although at times there are patches of predictability, the slow-paced account of life, season upon season, felt comfortable and I'm tempted to look up recipes for some of the Swedish foods that filled Mama's kitchen with tempting odors. Thanks Chriss for your recommendation and I'm thankful to Height's Library that did a fine job in tracking down this hard to come by book.  I liked Mama and her dedicated life to her husband and children, she was an inspiration of hope and strength.  The dedication page reads:
To My Mother
Maria Wickman Ferre
This Is Lovingly Dedicated
I recommend Papa's Wife to those that would enjoy a glimpse of motherhood from another time.   A few lines from page 187 when Papa goes fishing makes me wish for a less electronically dependent society.  "The trees were faintly green against the silver-blue sky, and along the path wood violets lifted their delicate heads.  Birds twittered a hymn of joy that winter had passed. "   

Ribsy

 Ribsy
by: Beverly Cleary
1964
paperback 192 pages, larger kid-print

One evening after a great pizza at new restaurant in the Heights, we took a walk with the couple we ate with.  On the walk there was a red box that caught our attention and it turned out to be a local book box... like a very mini library.  Kristina and i browsed the books and as there were not any she had read to recommend to me, i chose one that i know i had read years ago when i was a kid.  Ribsy was written one year before i was born and it was interesting to me to think back to how life used to be lived... like new station wagons, phone numbers that began with two letters, the Pledge of Allegiance at school, show and tell in the class room, and so on.  I liked how Ribsy was a dog of great patience and as i am presently seeking to be more patient he was a good teacher.  The book is "a boy and his dog" kind of story, but in chapter one they get separated and in the 6 chapters to follow the story tells of Ribsy's adventures before the inevitable ending to wrap things up nicely.  It was fun to read things from the dog's point of view and i think most pet-lovers would enjoy this step back in time look at a month in the life of a dog and how he is joyfully reunited with his boy.

Elvis & Olive

Elvis and Olive
by: Stephanie Watson
2008
Hardback, 230 pg, kids print size

I've noticed that we have some after-school home-work doers pop into Menchie's so yesterday I asked one of the young boys (the one with glasses) what was a book he read recently that he liked.  He thought and said, Elvis and Olive.  I asked him if it made him laugh and he said yes.  So he wrote it down for me and today i went to check it out from the library and it just happened to be on display!  I rode home pretty excited and read chapters in between doing Saturday chores while icing my neck.
Oh, what a disappointment.  I was not disappointed in the author's attempt to communicate cleverly and effectively a story told from the viewpoint of two 10-year-olds.  What made me sad was the story line.  Summer vacation for kids should be fun but what i read was disturbing to me as a 47 year old reader and i thought i would never want my soon to be 10 year old niece reading this.  These kiddos experienced abandonment, deceit, infidelity, betrayal, hate, sadness, theft, confusion, destruction of property, invasion of privacy... and then a few pages of somewhat reconciliation at the end.  Looks like i need to become more familiar with books at this age-level so i can recommend a good one. 

Left to Tell

 Left to Tell
Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
by: Immaculee Ilibagiza
2006
210 pages, paperback (with a few photos too)

There are gaps in what I know about history, the world, and the people who live in it.  How did i not know of this awfully tragedy that took place in my own lifetime?  In 1994, over 1 million people were brutally murdered in about 100 days in Rwanda, many died at the hand of what had been a friend or neighbor.  Tragic indeed.  Thankfully Immaculee's retelling of her own survival story has a redemptive tone.  Yes, it was very hard for me to read, yet i read through it quickly and will think about it maybe for the rest of my life.  Stories like these change one's perspective on so many things.  
One Tuesday in my ladies prayer time we were discussing various aspects of Col. 3:12 (putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience) and one of the gals used this book to to further explain elements of compassion.  She loaned Left to Tell to me, and as I wanted to learn more about Africa while Sophie was living there, I began to read it.  Then I put the book down for these images were too much for me,  then i thought i can not simply stick my head in the sand.  I read on.  It is a very sober, straightforward firsthand account giving just enough background to make some sense of two tribes Hutus and and the Tutsis that have for years lived with a form of unity including intermarrying within  Rwanda.  Hope springs from the pages; hope in God, hope of forgiveness, hope of healing. 
It is a book worth reading. 

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency The Limpo Academy of Private Detection

The New No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency 
The Limpo Academy of Private Detection

by: Alexander McCall Smith
hardback 257 pages
2012

I just now realize that i have skipped a few mysteries in the detective series written by Alexander McCall, for i was at the library and thought i reading a book about Africa would be nice as i seek to picture Sofi living there.  I found the No.1 Ladies Detective Series but because I was without my glasses a could not tell which one was next for me to read.  The Green book looked good so i chose this one and right away i was transported back to an Africa that i have never been but one that i had read of in Thailand when i first was introduced to these delightful books.
Life goes at a slow pace and it is easy to get into step with Mma Romostwe and those in her life in Botswana.  The biggest news is that Mma Makutsi is now married (that may have happened in the book called The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party) and she and her husband are building a home.  The matron of the orphanage, Mma Potokwane has been forced out of her role...there is a need for a detective here and how wonderful for the author of the "bible" of private detection, Clovis Andersen, to have arrived in Botswana and to be involved with the progress. 
i always learn a new word or two when i read the detection stories as Alexander McCall does a wonderful job in creating Africa in his descriptions and in using a few local words to add to the flavor of all the bush tea that gets consumed through the pages of the mysteries as they are solved.  "Pula, pula,pula!" is what i learned this time and as page 187 tells, it "is the cry of triumph, of joy, that was universal in Botswana.  It mean rain, rain, rain,--just the right cry for a dry country that lived for the day that the first life-giving rains arrived-- that day of ominous purple skies, and heat, and the wind that precedes the first drops of water spattering on dancing on the baked ground."
Another great read, not too ambitious, but with good insight to human character as seen through the eyes of a traditionally built woman who has a heart as big as the country.
in my opinion, the books do not need to be read in order, for each story gives enough detail for you to enjoy it on its own and each has a satisfactory conclusion.  For a closing remark i will quote Mma Romostwe's thoughts on friendship, "New friendships can be every bit as strong as old friendships, and of course became old friendships in due course." 
These books are like spending time with a good friend.

The Fitting Room

The Fitting Room

Putting on the Character of Christ
by Kelly Minter
2011
paperback 206 pages (which includes notes and useful study questions at the back)

As people chosen by God and dearly loved just how are we to dress?  Good question, and Kelly Minter does a good job of answering it chapter by chapter as she describes and gives insight (both scriptural and personal) into the virtues put forth in Colossians 3, mainly honing in on verses 12-15.  I am thankful to our ladies mission prayer group that meets on Tuesdays at noon and to the wonderful teaching that comes as each of us expounds further into a character trait we are to joyfully grow in. (i got to teach on forgiveness, and like always, God teaches you a lot as you prepare to teach).

This all would be totally overwhelming, the idea that we NEED to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, not to mention filled with peace and joy.  But the truth is, due to the reality that as God's children we are so loved by Him, that it is not a "i have to wear that and i don't want to" but it is replace with "i get to wear this and it looks great on me!" kind of mind-set change.  Changing what we "put on and live out" makes all the difference. Just like our physical clothing we are intentional with what we wear, it takes being intentional to choose patience over hotheadedness, or compassion over selfishness, etc.  You don't go to a wedding with your old sweat suit under your formal gown, and so it is you need to take off (and throw away) old useless ways of going about living...and you can because God loves you and has a better, more satisfying way for His children to live.

I highlighted the bits of Kelly's book in pink in the spots where she brought other helpful scripture into the concepts of putting on the character of Christ, and i'm happy to say there is quite a bit of pink in the book.  This to me makes the message more reliable.  It is an easy to read kind of book, not weighing you down with     guilt, but lifting up with hope and i think it will be one i will keep on the shelf, to refer to and recommend.

One Thousand Gifts

One Thousand Gifts
One Thousand Gifts
a dare to live fully right where you are
by: Ann Voskamp
2010
hardback, 237 page if you count the notes

In keeping with reading only books that have come to me recommended, i knew for a while that i wanted to read this one with the blue eggs in the nest on its cover.  I bought a copy (before i read it) for Melanie's 50th birthday thinking that 50 gifts would be cool, a thousand gifts would be way cool. Then our church (HFBC) had a ladies retreat and Kelly Matte, our pastor's wife did a session about it, but as i was not there, i do not know what she taught.  i checked it out of the church library but then got too busy with writing to read it.  I did read the first few pages and put it down quick as the raw description of birth and then the death of a child was too much for me.  Then i got sick, i thought instead of laying around, i will lay around with a book and because so many thought i would like this one, i picked it up again.  That is saying a lot before i say anything, i know. 
So, the book.  It is poetically written, yet touches on points like a good spiritual disciplines book should, so if it were mine it would have underlines in it.  It is a story, but one that is not in any hurry of getting anywhere and in the end, other than a trip to Paris (that may have been better off left as personal journal rather than included in the book) you really do not have a sense of arriving as far as story resolution goes.  But there is big resolution in the process that one homeschooling mom of six living on a pig farm in Canada goes through in her way to God, in her journey to fully trust Him.  She comes upon a word  eucharisteo meaning to give thanks and uses it page after page in her growth process in how this really unfolds. All boiled down one might say living a life of gratitude leads to living a full life of joy.  I would certainly agree.   The part that goes along with the title and with the journey is that she counts gifts... the little things that make up life, and she writes them down.  And she does so poetically.  On page 83 she reaches gift number 1000. Resurrection bloom, an amaryllis, a gift a year in the coming in reference to her mother-in-law's gift of a plant before she died of cancer.  There are lots of pages left for further discovery and the author uses her life as the class room of this growth into the goodness and blessings of God. At the end there are five pages of footnotes to give credit to authors and reference to books she has quoted in each chapter, so one has good resources if they would like to go deeper in an area. 
i liked the book and think it would be one that i would really have enjoyed reading in a book club where more could be expounded person to person after each chapter read.  At the end the reader is invited to join an on-line club to get even more information on how to live fully, complete with photos.  Many praise her book, and for good reason.  

Sluggers #1

Sluggers #1
Magic in the Outfield
by: Loren Long and Phil Bildner
Paperback 136 pages

Thank you Noah for suggesting Sluggers #1 for me to read!  It was a joy to meet Griffith, Ruby and Graham, the Payne children and their mom, "Guy" who plays as catcher for a traveling baseball team back in 1899.  The book Sluggers #1 is the first in a series of 6 that were originally called "Barnstormers" which is the name of their baseball team.  There is a mystery to be solved and at the end of the 136 page paperback we get just enough clues to draw is in and want to read more to figure it all out.  I love the creative and expressive illustrations throughout the story.  But what really captured me was the mini dictionary of baseball terms used back-in-the-day that add such authenticity to the story.  For an example, at the beginning of chapter 4 in the margin we can read that a Striker's Box is the area in which the striker (now known as the batter) stood when it was his turn to hit.  Also known as the "sticker's line."  Dish: home plate.  Lumber: baseball bat. also called "timber" and a Hurler is a pitcher.  The recommended age for the series is from 8-12, but at 47 (and as a gal who played softball back when I was kid) I found the book to be a lot of fun.  Noah, can't wait to borrow the rest of the series, thanks again for sharing some of your favorites with me.  Oh, and if you would like more information about it all, there is a cool website to get the behind the scene scoop! http://www.lorenlong.com

Taking the Word to Heart

 Taking the Word to Heart
Five Ways to get a Grip on God's Word
by Nancy Taylor
paperback 70 pages
2009

As the end of 2012 was drawing near, i had been thinking through just how i wanted to journal the journey of 2013.  One thing that kept coming up was this idea of trying to memorize Scripture so i thought maybe i would journal the process.  I had heard about a woman at our church, Nancy Taylor, that had written a book about how she went about it, and one day her husband, who works with Russell, gave me a copy of her book.
I thought through the reasons for why i would want to take on something that seems huge to me (really knowing the Word and the reference for where it was) and jotted down what would be gained, starting with closeness to God, obedience, wisdom for my life and others, a way to grow in the character of Jesus, have ammunition against the enemy, a fresh look at God's faithfulness and how my trust in Him would increase.
I began Nancy's book and was delight on how she touched on these motivations and then gave a well-thought out tried and true plan for how to make these goals a reality.
This short book, brought to mind advice given in years past, but also fresh outlooks and techniques including getting the Word not only in your head but in your life.  And that is what i really desire: a transformed life.  I'm thankful that Nancy lives this out, teaches others, has written this book and has been a personal encouragement to me as i begin this journey.  At this point i have 3 verses in my head and heart and about to add verse four, seeking to add one verse for each week so that by New Year's Eve, Lord willing, i will have 52 verses!  what a treasure that will be!

The History of Love

The History of Love

by: Nicole Krauss

2005

hardback 252

The fresh and very unique writing style of Nicole Krauss drew me in and kept me on my toes as i tried to connect the characters to their countries and sought to detect how it was that they interconnected with each other.  I had not read a novel in several months, maybe half a year, so i found the experience again fun as a little escape.  And now that it is over, it feels like guest that have been visiting the past week have moved on from our home.  Sophie got hooked on the novel with a line from page 11, " Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laugher was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."  When she left for Africa, she asked me to return the book to the library as she was not going to be able to finish it and i thought i would go ahead and give it a go.  

Great description was given not just of things but of feelings and thought processes. The two characters i liked best were Leopold, an old man who had escaped Poland when the Nazis invaded and Alma: an almost 15-year-old that was named after the gal in Leopold's book that he loved since he was 10 years old in Poland.   There is a bit of a mystery to solve as the pages give way to the rich development of both Alma and Leo and others they both know.  And you learn a lot of this and that as you read along like a person can starve to death by eating rabbits and that a lamed vovnik is one of 36 super-powered Jews that live at any given time.  (Alma's younger brother, Bird, thought he was one of these).  

In my opinion, the story was not as proportional as it could have been and for all the build up and investment, it ended far to quickly... maybe i just was not ready to be finished reading about these endearing friends and wanted it to go on a bit more.  With the title being "The History of Love" do not expect a very romantic book, or a happy book, yet i did laugh a time or too. It was realistic and sad told of missed opportunities and made me want to live life fully for it ends for some before it is really over.